Domino bites the dust

Sad news for readers of Dominomagazine and those concerned about the health of print (specifically shelter) magazines: The fantastic, short-lived publication launched by Conde Nast in April of 2005 was shuttered yesterday due to the shaky economy. The March 2009 issue of the magazine will be its last.

Domino, which dubbed itself “The Guide to Living with Style,” was consistently chock-full of insights into the world of home décor and organization. It was also one of the first mainstream shelter titles to give a significant amount of press to the green design and homekeeping movement. Eerily, if Domino’s annual green issue runs in March, as it did last year and in 2007, that issue will be its final one. Excuse my gallows humor, but at least they might be going out with an eco-bang. From a statement issued by the publisher:

“This decision to cease publication of the magazine and its website is driven entirely by the economy. Although readership and advertising response was encouraging in the early years, we have concluded that this economic market will not support our business expectations.”

The Conde Nast body count thus far: Men’s Vogue and men’s fashion trade publication DNR have folded in addition to numerous, company-wide layoffs. An early victim in the Conde Nast crumble was House & Garden, a decades-old (actually centuries old) home magazine. O at Home, Blueprint, a Martha Stewart Omnimedia title with similar content as Domino, and Plenty, a green living title, have also folded in recent months. National Geographic’s Green Guide, a print spin-off of the popular website, was shuttered after less than a year of publication. Additionally, the staff of ReadyMade, a venerable DIY lifestyle title, has been relocated from San Francisco to Des Moines, Iowa, to help keep the magazine afloat. Keep tabs on the decline of print magazines at Advertising Age and check out the links below for some great, green content on Domino.com.

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